Commuters who frequent 6 Ave. S.E. between Centre Street and 1 Street are going to have to find an alternate route — for at least the next 10 months.

The temporary full closure is to accommodate the construction of The Bow, a major downtown office tower being built by EnCana.

“Several options were evaluated, including both full and partial closures,” said Malcolm Logan, director of roads for the City of Calgary.

“A one-time temporary full closure was deemed the best option because it will speed up the construction schedule and reduce the length of time that downtown traffic is impacted.”

Public safety, as well as that of construction workers, will be monitored during the construction process and the city’s transportation head will see to it that changes are made where necessary to keep traffic moving in the downtown core.

The city has implemented a detour program along major routes and is asking downtown commuters to help reduce traffic congestion by choosing alternate modes of transportation or altering their commuting times.

Darren Krause for Metro Calgary

Transit

The closure is not expected to delay Calgary Transit service in the downtown core, and increased capacity will be available on both bus and C-Train routes.